Have your ashes scattered over sites of sentimentality or other significance? It depends which sites.
There are also religious and cultural considerations.
Te Arawa kaumātua Sir Toby Curtis says he would expect cultural rituals such as blessing the site to be done when scattering ashes in public places and it would not be right to build on the land without this being carried out.
Tauranga City Council manager of spaces and places Mark Smith says they provided cremation services and land for burial and ash plots.
"If someone would like to scatter ashes in Tauranga on public land, we advise them to contact us to discuss where and when they would like to scatter them."
Richard Fullard from Osbornes Funeral Directors says local beaches, walking tracks and golf courses were common places for ashes to be spread.
"Families often choose a place that reflects the life of their loved one where they best see fit ... it is a place they can visit for years to come."
People hoping to spread ashes at a certain place should do it under acknowledgement from the person who owns the land, he says.
There are many creative ways to preserve the ashes of a loved one.
Today we report that people have made ashes into jewellery, stuffed teddy bears, or paperweights.
Waihi's Andrew Killick owns Laughing Pottery and regularly makes pots, vases, and even birdbaths out of human and animal ashes.
"Some people feel funny about it, but we think it's quite a nice way to personalise a memorial."
Ash could be mixed into the clay and be virtually made into anything, he said.
Some choose to scatter ashes out at sea - some even have the ash made into ink and tattooed on to skin.
However you decide you want your loved one to be memorialised, it's important to do your research and talk to your funeral director.
